Disposable contact lens container having a vapor lens hydration system

ABSTRACT

A package includes a vapor impermeable material forming a sealed cavity. A hydrated, ready to use contact lens is disposed within the cavity. A quantity of a liquid is disposed within the cavity such that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in the liquid, thereby facilitating easy removal of the contact lens when the package is opened.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure generally relates to disposable contact lens containers and more specifically to disposable contact lens containers that have a vapor lens hydration system that does not require the disposable contact lens to be immersed in or otherwise in contact with a liquid in the container.

2. Related Technology

A variety of disposable contact lens containers currently are known and available. Some of the disposable contact lens containers are used for shipping the disposable contact lenses to a desired recipient, such as consumer or optician. Other disposable contact lens containers are designed for use by the consumer. These latter containers permit the contact lens to be stored over periods of time, e.g. through the night, when the consumer is not wearing the contact lens.

Regardless of the particular disposable contact lens container style, such containers typically include a well or a plurality of wells for receiving at least one contact lens as well as a sufficient amount of an aqueous liquid, such as saline solution, to submerge or immerse each contact lens in the saline solution to keep the lens hydrated.

Generally, the well is enclosed by a cover that is sufficiently sealed to prevent loss of the saline solution.

The advent of disposable soft contact lenses, such as daily wear contact lenses, has made it imperative that the lens be maintained in a moist or hydrated condition during periods of non-use. Without adequate hydration, the thin polymer material of the contact lens rapidly dries, becomes harsh and abrasive, and ultimately becomes unusable.

Simply immersing a disposable contact lens in saline-based solution, however, can be problematic. For example, the use of sufficient saline-based solution to maintain a contact lens submerged or immersed requires a sufficiently large container to accommodate both the contact lens and an amount of saline-based solution to completely cover the contact lens. This adds to the size and the weight of the contact lens container, which is disadvantageous, particularly for the distribution of large numbers of contact lenses. Furthermore, the use of liquid within the contact lens holder can create messy spills during opening of the container and/or during removal of the contact lens from the container for application of the contact lens to an eye of an individual.

Moreover, because the amount of saline-based solution required for each package is volume based (i.e., enough volume of saline-based solution to completely cover the contact lens), large volumes of saline-based solution are used by contact lens manufactures, which leads to excessive costs.

Using wells of saline-based solution also creates difficulty in locating and removing the contact lens from its container when a consumer is ready to apply the lens because the lens is hard to see in the solution, especially to persons with poor eyesight. Furthermore, the size of the well necessary to contain the liquid and contact lens, as well as the free-flowing motion of the liquid, permits inadvertent reorientation of the contact lens while in the container. For example, the contact lens may become inverted in the container, thereby inducing the consumer to apply the contact to his or her eye in an inverted or reverse orientation. This can lead to irritation of the eye and discomfort to the consumer. Additionally, the soft material of the contact lenses can become folded which leads to added difficulty in applying the contact lens to an eye, and also can result in damage to the contact lens.

SUMMARY

A package includes a vapor impermeable material forming a sealed cavity. A hydrated, ready to use contact lens is disposed within the cavity. A quantity of a liquid is disposed within the cavity such that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid. This makes it easier for the user to see the contact lens when the package is opened, thereby facilitating easier removal of the contact lens from the package.

In another embodiment, a contact lens container or package includes a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens. A vapor impermeable cover element that is movable between a closed position, cooperating with the base portion to define a sealed chamber, and an open position, allowing access to the cavity for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens, is disposed over an open portion of the vapor impermeable base. A liquid sequestering element is located within the cavity, the liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid for releasing a vapor into the cavity, the vapor released within the cavity hydrating, or maintaining hydration of, a hydrophilic contact lens deposited within the cavity. The liquid sequestering element confines the liquid to substantially prevent any loose liquid within the cavity.

In yet another embodiment, a contact lens container or package includes a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens. The base portion has a bottom wall, an upwardly extending side wall, and a flange extending about the side wall, the upwardly extending side wall defining an opening leading into the cavity. A vapor impermeable cover element is disposed over the opening, the vapor impermeable cover element being movable between a closed position cooperating with the base portion to define a sealed chamber and an open position allowing access to the cavity through the opening for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens. A liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid for releasing a vapor is disposed within the cavity. When the cover is in the closed position, the vapor released within the cavity forms a vapor hydration atmosphere that hydrates a hydrophilic contact lens deposited within the cavity and/or maintains the contact lens in a hydrated condition. The liquid sequestering element confines the liquid to substantially prevent any loose liquid from being located within the cavity. The liquid sequestering element is disposed at or near the bottom wall of the base portion.

A method of making a package includes providing a vapor impermeable package material, forming a cavity in the vapor impermeable package material, placing a contact lens and a liquid in the cavity, and sealing the cavity containing the contact lens and the liquid. The liquid is placed in the cavity in such a manner that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid when the package is opened, which facilitates removal of the contact lens.

In another embodiment, a method for packaging a hydrophilic contact lens without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid includes providing a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens, providing a liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid within the cavity, placing a hydrophilic contact lens to be hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid within the cavity, covering the vapor impermeable base portion with a vapor impermeable cover element, and waiting for a portion of the liquid in the liquid sequestering element to form a vapor hydration atmosphere. The hydrophilic contact lens is hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid by exposing the hydrophilic contact lens to a vapor atmosphere within the cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary aspects and features of a container or package constructed in accordance with the disclosure are described and explained in greater detail below with the aid of the drawing figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a contact lens container having a liquid sequestering element in a cavity of the container;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens and a liquid sequestering chamber separated from the cavity by a liquid impermeable, vapor permeable barrier;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens with a liquid impermeable, vapor permeable sachet being disposed in the cavity;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens with a toroidal liquid sequestering element being disposed in the cavity; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a method of manufacturing a contact lens container that includes a contact lens that is vapor hydrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A contact lens package or container includes a cavity for containing a contact lens and a liquid sequestering element disposed in the cavity, or a liquid sequestering chamber, or a sachet with a vapor permeable barrier separating the liquid from the cavity. The contact lens in the cavity is hydrated, and/or maintained in a hydrated condition, by vapor hydration, rather than by liquid immersion or direct liquid contact as is common in the art. The contact lens container advantageously contains no free liquid in the cavity when a consumer opens the container to use the contact lens. As a result, the contact lens, when located in the disclosed container, is very easy to identify and capture for placement in the consumer's eye because the contact lens is not immersed in liquid. Further, because the contact lens is hydrated by vapor hydration, far less liquid is required than in known contact lens containers. For example, the claimed contact lens container requires approximately 90% less liquid than known contact lens containers to hydrate the contact lens. In some cases, only 20 microliters to 50 microliters of liquid are needed, as compared to known containers that regularly use more than 500 microliters of liquid. This reduction in liquid not only makes the contact lens easier to identify in the container, but also results in a substantial savings from a manufacturer's point of view because the manufacturer can eliminate 90% or more of the costs associated with the liquid. Furthermore, this reduction in liquid results in a lower package weight and virtually eliminates the problem of liquid being forced out of, or spilled from, the container when a consumer locates and captures the contact lens with his or her fingers. Thus, the disclosed contact lens container is lighter and is cleaner and neater than known contact lens containers from a consumer's perspective.

In some cases it may be desirable to add an antimicrobial agent, or other water soluble compound, to the contact lens, to provide benefits of the antimicrobial agent, or other water soluble compound, to a user of the contact lens. Other water soluble compounds may include sodium chloride, or other salts, for example. Incorporating antimicrobial agents or other water soluble compounds onto the contact lens may include soaking the contact lens in an aqueous solution containing the desired compound and then transferring the contact lens, but not the remainder of the aqueous solution to the container (i.e., only the amount of aqueous solution carried on the surface of the lens, and the amount of aqueous solution diffused into the contact lens is actually transferred to the container). In this case, the liquid in the package (e.g., the liquid contained in the liquid sequestering element) may be pure liquid water. When the pure liquid water rehydrates the contact lens through vapor hydration, the desired compound may also be rehydrated.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a contact lens package or container 10 includes a body 12 formed of a vapor impermeable material. The base portion or body 12 includes a bottom wall 14 and at least one side wall 16. The side wall 16 may define a cavity 20 of virtually any cross-sectional shape, such as cylindrical, square, rectangular, polygonal, or oval. The side wall 16 is attached to, or integrally formed with, the bottom wall 14 and an opening 18 is formed at one end of the side wall 16, opposite the bottom wall 14. The side wall 16 and bottom wall 14 form a cavity 20 sized and shaped to receive a contact lens 22 and a liquid sequestering element 24 for sequestering liquid while allowing vapor to escape into the cavity 20. The liquid sequestering element 24 may be located proximate the bottom wall 14.

A quantity of liquid is contained within the liquid sequestering element 24 such that the contact lens 22 is not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid because the liquid sequestering element 24 prevents the liquid from being loose in the cavity 20. Examples of acceptable liquid sequestering element materials include wettable fabrics or foams and liquid wicking materials capable of retaining and/or confining the liquid while also being capable of releasing water vapor into the cavity 20. The liquid sequestering element 24 may include a film 26 that is highly permeable to water vapor while being impermeable to liquid water to further isolate the contact lens 22 from the liquid. In other embodiments, the liquid sequestering element 24 may be formed from a hydrophilic foam, such as a fine cell hydrophilic polyurethane foam. One example of a fine cell hydrophilic polyurethane foam is MediSponge® 30W foam, manufactured by Lendell Foams, St. Charles, Mich. However, other foams or hydrophilic materials may be used as well as long as the hydrophilic material is capable of sequestering liquid water while allowing water vapor to escape into the cavity, and does not leave undesired residues on the contact lens 22. The liquid sequestering element 24 may be fixed to the bottom wall 14 by an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 28, at one or more locations to prevent the liquid sequestering element 24 from moving within the cavity 20.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the contact lens 22 is supported on a substantially flat top surface 25 of the liquid sequestering element 24. An outer convex surface of the contact lens 22 (i.e., the surface of the contact lens 22 that does not normally directly contact the eyeball of a user when in use) may contact the substantially flat top surface 25 at a zone of tangency 27. The zone of tangency 27 is a very small area compared to the overall surface area of the outer convex surface of the contact lens 22. Because of this, transfer of water to the contact lens 22 by direct contact with liquid that is at the surface of the liquid sequestering element will be very limited. Instead, the contact lens 22 in this arrangement hydrates by means of vapor hydration.

A cover element or cover film 30 may extend across the opening 18 to create a sealed chamber that contains both the contact lens 22 and the liquid sequestering element 24. The cover film may be movable between a closed position that cooperates with the body 12 to seal the cavity 20 and an open position allowing access to the cavity for removal of the contact lens 22. The cover film 30 may be formed of virtually any vapor and liquid impermeable material, such as a vapor and liquid impermeable foil or a vapor and liquid impermeable polymer material. Examples of vapor and liquid impermeable foil or polymer materials include aluminum foil, and water vapor barrier plastic films such as Clearfoil® Z, from Rollprint Packaging Products, Addison, Ill. The cover film 30 may be attached to the body 12 with an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 29 forming a peelable heat seal. Alternatively, the foil may be covered over its entire inside surface with a heat sealable coating.

When preparing the contact lens container 10 for distribution, the liquid sequestering element 24 may be partially filled with liquid water. The amount of water added to the liquid sequestering element 24 may be less than the liquid carrying capacity of the liquid sequestering element 24. More particularly, an amount of water of between approximately 20 microliters and approximately 50 microliters may be added to the liquid sequestering element 24. A volume of water in this range is sufficient to hydrate an unhydrated contact lens 22 through vapor hydration only. Typically, disposable contact lenses 22 are about 55% water by weight when hydrated. Because most disposable contact lenses 22 weigh between about 15 mg and about 25 mg, only about 20 to 30 mg of water is needed to hydrate an individual lens, which corresponds to approximately 20 to 30 microliters. This very small amount of water, while sufficient to hydrate a contact lens 22 through vapor hydration, is not nearly enough water to completely immerse or directly contact the entire surface of the contact lens 22.

After a sufficient amount of water is added to the liquid sequestering element 24, the contact lens 22 may be placed into the cavity 20. Thereafter, the opening 18 may be sealed with the cover film 30 to create a vapor sealed environment within the cavity 20. Over time, water vapor will leave the liquid sequestering element 24 and move into the atmosphere within the cavity 20 due to differences in relative humidity, forming a vapor hydration atmosphere within the cavity 20. Some of the water vapor that escapes into the cavity 20 will be absorbed by the hydrophilic contact lens 22. A temporary equilibrium will be established in which the amount of water vapor removed from the cavity 20 by the contact lens 22 will be replaced with an equal amount of water vapor leaving the liquid sequestering element 24. Typically, the temporary equilibrium will be very close to, but slightly less than, 100% relative humidity within the cavity 20. Eventually, the contact lens 22 will become saturated and will no longer absorb water vapor from the cavity 20.

At this point, water vapor will continue to leave the liquid sequestering element 24 until the atmosphere within the cavity 20 becomes saturated. Once the atmosphere within the cavity 20 becomes saturated, water vapor will cease leaving the liquid sequestering element 24 and any liquid water left will remain in the liquid sequestering element 24 and separated from the contact lens 22. In some embodiments, full hydration of a dehydrated contact lens 22 may take up to 30 days or more. Production to consumer purchase typically takes about 30 days in most cases. Therefore, the consumer receives a fully hydrated contact lens at purchase. In other cases, it may be desirable to store the produce for a determined amount of time before releasing the contact lens container 10 to a retailer in order to ensure complete hydration of the contact lens 22.

Turning now to FIG. 2, another embodiment of a contact lens container 110 is illustrated. The contact lens container 110 includes a body 112 having a bottom wall 114 and a side wall 116. The side wall may have an opening 118 disposed opposite the bottom wall 114. The opening 118 may be covered with a seal cover 130 to seal a cavity 120 formed between the side wall 116 and the bottom wall 114. The bottom wall 114 may include a recess 140 that forms a liquid well or a liquid sequestering chamber 142. A liquid impermeable, vapor permeable membrane or chamber cover 144 may extend across an open top 146 of the sequestering chamber 142. The chamber cover 144 desirably is inexpensive. Candidate materials for the chamber cover 144 include materials that are used in personal care products, such as disposable diapers, as the liquid impermeable, water vapor permeable outer cover. Exemplary materials include polyethylene films that are filled with calcium carbonate particles, and then stretched to create internal cavitation, and other polymer or metal foils. A liquid sequestering element 124 may be disposed within the sequestering chamber 142. The liquid sequestering element 124 may be made of a liquid wicking material that contains liquid water and releases water vapor. In other embodiments, the wicking element may be eliminated and an adequate amount of liquid may be freely placed within the sequestering chamber 142. In this embodiment, the sequestering chamber is itself a liquid sequestering element. The contact lens 122 remains separated from liquid in the sequestering chamber by the chamber cover 144. Water vapor moves from the sequestering chamber, through the chamber cover 144 and into the cavity 120 due to differences in relative humidity. The contact lens 122 then absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere in the cavity 120 as described above, until the contact lens 122 is saturated with water. Because the liquid water is physically located in a confined space that is separated from the contact lens 122, liquid in this embodiment has no danger of spilling out of the container 110 when a consumer captures the contact lens 122. Moreover, the container 110 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be less costly to manufacture because the liquid sequestering element 124 may be eliminated.

Like the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the opening 118 may be sealed by a cover film 130 that may be attached to the body 12 with adhesive 129 such as hot melt adhesive. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the cover film 130 is attached to a flange 132 of the body 112. In some embodiments, the flange 132 may extend outwardly, away from the side wall 116, forming a continuous flange 132 around the opening 118.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate yet other alternate embodiments of the container 210, 310, which may have a body 212, 312 formed of a vapor impermeable material. The body 212, 312 includes a bottom wall 214, 314 and at least one side wall 216, 316. The side wall 216, 316 may define a cavity 220, 320 of virtually any cross-sectional shape, such as cylindrical, square, rectangular, polygonal, oval, etc. The side wall 216, 316 is attached to the bottom wall 214, 314 and an opening 218, 318 is formed at one end of the side wall 216, 316, opposite the bottom wall 214, 314. The side wall 216, 316 and bottom wall 214, 314 form a cavity 220, 320 sized and shaped to receive a contact lens 222, 322 and a liquid sequestering element 224, 324 for sequestering liquid water while allowing water vapor to escape into the cavity.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid sequestering element 224, 324 takes the form a vapor permeable, liquid impermeable sachet, which confines liquid and prevents any liquid from being loose in the cavity 220, 320. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the sachet is generally lenticular in shape, having convex outer walls. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the sachet has a toroidal or donut shape that cradles the outer convex surface of the contact lens 22 in a central hole. The sachet shape of FIG. 4 may help stabilize the contact lens 322 in the container 310 during movement of the container 310. This advantageous donut shape can also be employed with other liquid sequestering elements that have been described above. The liquid sequestering element 224, 324 may be fixed to the bottom wall 214, 314 by an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 228, 328 at one or more locations to prevent the liquid sequestering element 224, 324 from moving within the cavity 220, 320.

A cover film 230, 330 may extend across the opening 218, 318 to create a sealed chamber that contains both the contact lens 222, 322 and the liquid sequestering element 224, 324. The cover film 230, 330 may be formed of virtually any vapor impermeable material, such as a vapor impermeable foil. The cover film 230, 330 may be attached to the body 212, 312 with an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 229, 329.

Although the contact lens 222, 322 of FIGS. 3 and 4 contacts the sachet 224, 324 at least partially, no liquid is transferred from the sachet 224, 324 to the contact lens 222, 322 directly in liquid form. In other words, there is no capillary transfer of liquid water from the sachet 224, 324 to the contact lens 222, 322. Rather, water is transferred first in vapor form from the sachet 224, 324 to the atmosphere in the cavity 220, 320 and then water in vapor form is absorbed by the contact lens 222, 322, as described above. As a result, there is no free liquid water in the cavity 220, 320 that may spill out of the container 210, 310 when a consumer locates and captures the contact lens 222, 322 for use.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a method 400 of producing a contact lens container that hydrates a hydrophilic contact lens without full immersion in or complete direct contact with a liquid is described. Initially, a contact lens container is formed at 410. The contact lens container may have any number of the features or characteristics described above with reference to the containers illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. After the container is formed, a measured amount of liquid is added to the container at 412. After the liquid is added, a dehydrated or pre-hydrated hydrophilic contact lens is inserted into the container at 414. After the contact lens is inserted into the container, the container is sealed at 416. After the container is sealed, the hydrophilic contact lens is gradually vapor hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without full immersion in liquid, as described above, at 418. The order of steps 412 and 414 may be changed if desired.

In other embodiments, the liquid sequestering elements or liquid sequestering sachets may be colored to aid a consumer in identifying the contact lens.

Although the contact lens container described herein is illustrated as having a single cavity for containing a single contact lens, one having ordinary skill in the art would be capable of forming a contact lens container having two separate cavities, each cavity being sized to receive an individual contact lens so that a user may store a pair of contact lenses in a single contact lens container. In such an embodiment, the container would include at least one liquid sequestering element, as described above.

The term “liquid” as used herein is meant to encompass any contact lens liquid storage solution, such as saline solutions, other aqueous solutions, and solutions containing antimicrobial agents.

Although certain contact lens containers have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of the appended claims is not limited thereto. On the contrary, the claims cover all embodiments of the teachings of this disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents. 

1. A package, comprising: a vapor impermeable material forming a sealed cavity; a hydrated, ready to use contact lens within the cavity; and a quantity of a liquid within the cavity such that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid.
 2. The package of claim 1 wherein the vapor impermeable material includes a base portion and a cover element movable between a closed position cooperating with the base portion to form the sealed cavity and an open position allowing access for removal of the contact lens.
 3. The package of claim 2 wherein the base portion includes a bottom wall and a side wall; and a liquid sequestering element is disposed at or near the bottom wall, the liquid sequestering element containing the quantity of the liquid, and releasing a vapor within the sealed cavity containing the contact lens.
 4. The package of claim 2 wherein the cover element is formed of one of a vapor and liquid impermeable metal foil or a vapor and liquid impermeable polymer foil and is secured to the base portion with a peelable heat seal to define the sealed cavity in the closed position thereof.
 5. The package of claim 1 including a liquid sequestering element within the sealed cavity, the liquid sequestering element containing the quantity of the liquid and releasing a vapor within the sealed cavity so the contact lens is in a hydrated, ready to use condition when the package is opened for removal thereof.
 6. The package of claim 5 wherein the contact lens is supported by the liquid sequestering element.
 7. The package of claim 6 wherein the liquid sequestering element includes a substantially flat surface and the contact lens is supported by contacting the substantially flat surface along a zone of tangency.
 8. The package of claim 5 wherein the liquid sequestering element is formed of a liquid wicking material that confines the liquid and thereby substantially prevent there being any loose liquid within the sealed cavity.
 9. The package of claim 5 wherein the liquid sequestering element is a vapor permeable, liquid impermeable sachet within the sealed cavity to contain and confine the liquid in the sachet and thereby substantially prevent there being any loose liquid within the sealed cavity.
 10. The package of claim 5 wherein the liquid sequestering element is secured within the sealed cavity with a hot melt adhesive. 11-18. (canceled)
 19. A contact lens case, comprising: a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens; a vapor impermeable cover element movable between a closed position cooperating with the base portion to define a sealed chamber and an open position allowing access to the cavity defined by the base portion for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens; and a liquid sequestering element within the sealed chamber containing a quantity of a liquid for releasing a vapor, the vapor released within the sealed chamber forming a vapor hydration atmosphere maintaining a hydrophilic contact lens deposited within the cavity in a hydrated condition without direct liquid contact, the liquid sequestering element confining the liquid to substantially prevent there being any loose liquid within the cavity.
 20. The contact lens case of claim 19 wherein the base portion includes a bottom wall and a side wall and the liquid sequestering element is disposed at or near the bottom wall.
 21. The contact lens case of claim 19 wherein the liquid sequestering element is formed of a liquid wicking material secured to the bottom wall with a hot melt adhesive.
 22. The contact lens case of claim 19 wherein the liquid sequestering element comprises a vapor permeable, liquid impermeable sachet containing the quantity of the liquid therein.
 23. The contact lens case of claim 19 further comprising a contact lens disposed within the cavity, wherein the contact lens is supported by the liquid sequestering element.
 24. The contact lens case of claim 23 wherein the liquid sequestering element includes a substantially flat top surface and the contact lens is supported by contacting the substantially flat surface along a zone of tangency.
 25. The contact lens case of claim 22 wherein the vapor permeable, liquid impermeable sachet containing the quantity of the liquid is secured to the bottom wall with a hot melt adhesive.
 26. The contact lens case of claim 20 wherein the side wall is upwardly extending and defines an opening leading into the cavity for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens.
 27. The contact lens case of claim 20 wherein the base portion has a peripheral flange extending outwardly of and continuously about the side wall opposite the bottom wall.
 28. The contact lens case of claim 27 wherein the cover element is secured to the peripheral flange with a peelable heat seal to define the sealed chamber in the closed position thereof.
 29. The contact lens case of claim 28 wherein the cover element is formed of one of a vapor and liquid impermeable metal foil or a vapor and liquid impermeable polymer foil.
 30. The contact lens case of claim 20 wherein the liquid sequestering element comprises a liquid well formed in the bottom wall below the cavity to contain the quantity of the liquid.
 31. The contact lens case of claim 30 including a vapor permeable membrane secured to the bottom wall and covering the liquid well to confine the quantity of the liquid.
 32. The contact lens case of claim 30 further including a liquid wicking material disposed in the liquid well to contain the quantity of the liquid and release the vapor. 33-60. (canceled) 